A favorite of children around the world, these Russian toys were first made over 300 years ago in the small village of “Bogorodskoye”. They are still handcarved using traditional tools from Linden wood, also called Basswood. They seem to come to life when you swing them in a circular motion.
I have been collecting them for years, and this one is a gift from a friend. It’s inspired by the Aesop Fable where a fox tricks a crow carrying a piece of cheese. The fox asks to hear the crow’s beautiful voice. When it opens its beak to sing, it drops the cheese and the happy fox trots off; the moral being, “don’t trust flatterers.”
i love that carving. the concept and the style. very cool.
do you really think that is basswood though? in russia? i’ve seen allot of mixed ideas of lime/linden and basswood. i’ve had a few different tilias and they vary allot.
Hi Daniel,
In Europe the similar wood is called linden.